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Canterbury, Running Aces Request Minnesota Race Dates For 2022

The Minnesota Racing Commission has formally received the requests for 2022 live race days from Canterbury Park and Running Aces Casino, Hotel, and Racetrack, and is set to discuss them in its full commission meeting on Dec. 16, 2021.

Canterbury Park is requesting 65 days of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing, to begin on May 18, 2022 and end on Sept. 17, 2022. The proposed calendar asks for racing on every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, with all post times except Sundays, special holiday races, and exceptions starting at 5:00 PM.

Running Aces Casino, Hotel, and Racetrack is requesting 56 days of Standardbred harness racing, to run from May 15, 2022, to September 17, 2022. Racing at Running Aces is proposed to take place every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday with three event exceptions. All post times are slated to begin at 7:00 PM.

Pursuant to State of Minnesota rules and statutes, the Minnesota Racing Commission will conduct a public hearing to hear testimony, receive comment, and allow witness to the discussions. The Minnesota Racing Commission holds regulatory jurisdiction on live horse racing conducted with pari-mutuel betting in the state of Minnesota.

The public hearing will be on Thursday, December 16, 2021. It will begin promptly at 3:30 PM and be held over Microsoft Teams.

Those wishing to view or participate can contact Chad Peterson at chad.peterson1@state.mn.us or 651-925-3951 during business hours for information on how to join the Microsoft Teams meeting. All persons wishing to comment are encouraged to register beforehand or send written mail and must limit themselves to the subject of the 2022 race day requests. Written comment must be received before Dec. 10, 2021. Those who would like to give written comment can email Chad Peterson or send by mail to:

Minnesota Racing Commission
15201 Zurich St. NE Suite 212
Columbus, MN 55025

About the Minnesota Racing Commission
The Minnesota Racing Commission operates in the public interest to ensure the integrity of horse racing and card playing, to oversee the proper distribution of funds back into the industry, and to provide for the safety and welfare of the human and equine participants. The Commission works to promote the horse racing and breeding industry in Minnesota in order to provide economic stimulus, offer residents and visitors an exciting entertainment option, and support agriculture and rural agribusiness. Visit mn.gov/mrc for more information.

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Canterbury Park Requests 65 Race Dates For 2022

Canterbury Park officials intend to offer 65 days of live horse racing in 2022. A request for a meet that would run Wednesday, May 18 through Saturday, Sept. 17 has been submitted for approval to the Minnesota Racing Commission. Purses are projected at $225,000 per day, similar to the 65-day 2021 season.

In 2021, all-sources wagering reached a record $90.9 million with racing conducted Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons, surpassing the $68.4 million record set in 2020 when 53 days of racing were conducted. The 2022 request would replace Tuesdays with Saturday evening racing programs while continuing Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday programs. Racing would begin at 1:00 p.m. on Sundays and 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Sunday afternoon out-of-state wagering in 2021 exceeded company officials' expectations with an average $894,736 in off-track handle, nearly triple the pre-pandemic 2019 figure when the Shakopee, Minn. track last conducted Sunday programs. The success in maintaining wagering levels with the shift to Sundays in 2021 leads to optimism amongst track officials about the possibilities regarding the return of Saturday racing, absent since 2019.

“Canterbury Park has been successful over the past two seasons in drawing the interest of the national horseplayer through running a race schedule focused on the less competitive days of the week and by providing a strong value proposition for the wagering dollar,” company president Randy Sampson said. “In 2022, we plan to continue to offer a strong wagering proposition at opportunistic times in the weekly calendar while making it easier for our passionate on-track fan base to return to the races by adding Saturday evening programs,” Sampson said.

Canterbury first experimented with weeknight-only racing in 2020 when pandemic restrictions caused a delay to the start of the race meet with severe limitations on attendance. National handle soared as a result. Mondays were eliminated last season in favor of Sunday afternoons.

The 2022 schedule also includes a nine-day break from July 18 through July 26 to accommodate Twin Cities Summer Jam, an annual multi-day music festival held in the racetrack infield.

The Minnesota Racing Commission, a nine-member panel appointed by the state's governor tasked with overseeing the integrity and safety of horse racing at Minnesota's two pari-mutuel racetracks, is expected to consider Canterbury's race date request at its December meeting. Minnesota Administrative Rule 7872.0100 requires Canterbury Park to submit its request for 2022 racing dates no later than November 15, 2021.
Canterbury Park's 24/7 card casino and simulcast racebook remain open daily. For more information, visit www.canterburypark.com .

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Canterbury Season Concludes With Record Total Handle Of Over $90 Million

Canterbury Park's live horse racing season came to a conclusion Thursday night, producing record wagering figures while returning $15,558,701 in purses, the most ever in a single meet, to horse owners, jockeys and trainers, fueling an industry that supports thousands of jobs across the state. Wagering was robust during the 65-day season, 12 race days more than the pandemic-shortened 2020 meet, with a record total handle of $90,888,787, spurred by an average daily out-of-state handle of $1,267,985, a 3.9 percent rise over last year and a 178.9 percent increase over 2019. The 2021 total surpassed the previous Canterbury Park record of $68.4 million set last year.

With no COVID-19 restrictions in place this season, spectators returned and daily average on-track wagering increasing by 87.1 percent to $130,304, leaving officials at the Shakopee, Minn. racetrack thrilled about the season and optimistic for the future.

“It really was an encouraging racing season,” track president Randy Sampson said. “We maintained wagering levels out of state but most importantly we saw racing fans return to Canterbury Park. Business levels increased throughout the summer which allowed us to continue to bring employees back to work and provide the race-day experience that our guests expect.”

Purse money averaged $239,365 daily, with $7.28 of the more than $15 million total contributed by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community through a cooperative marketing and purse enhancement agreement reached with Canterbury Park in 2012. SMSC owns and operates nearby Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. More than $6.6 million in purses was paid to owners of horses that were foaled in Minnesota.

“With the support of horse trainers and owners, we presented an excellent racing product which continued to attract wagering across the country,” Vice President of Racing Operations Andrew Offerman said. “We are grateful for the owners, trainers, breeders, patrons and team that contributed to this record season and we celebrate the record purse distribution of more than $15 million dollars in 2021 that will allow industry participants to reinvest their earnings into future racing prospects and support vitals components of Minnesota's agriculture industry.”

Mac Robertson won the Thoroughbred training title for the 14th time with 62 wins. Lindey Wade, riding at Canterbury for the first time, was leading Thoroughbred jockey with 80 wins, 13 more than last year's champion Ry Eikleberry. Lothenbach Stables Inc. was leading thoroughbred owner with 32 wins and $886,904 in purse earnings. Jason Olmstead continued his dominance in the quarter horse ranks, easily winning his seventh consecutive training title. Tom Maher was leading owner and Edwin Escobedo was top quarter horse jockey.

Cinco Star, trained by Robertson, was named Horse of the Meet. The 6-year-old Minnesota bred, owned by John Mentz of Lakeville, won three times this summer including the Blair's Cove and Ralph Strangis Stakes.

Thursday's 13-race card attracted $2,892,591 in wagering. Minister of Soul under jockey Luis Fuentes won the $50,000 Tom Metzen HBPA Sprint Stakes. The 7-year-old is owned and trained by Esteban Martinez.

Robertson capped the season winning the $50,000 Shakopee Juvenile, a race he has now won five consecutive times, with 2-year-old Misyneedsacocktail. The filly was ridden by Luis Negron for owner Jac Mac Stable, LLC.

Canterbury Park's 2021 Horse of the Year and divisional champions:
• Horse of the Year – Cinco Star (owner: John Mentz : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Sprinter – Clickbait (owner: Hugh Robertson, John Mentz & Jeff Larson : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Older Filly or Mare – Ready to Runaway (owner: John Mentz : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Older Horse – Cinco Star (owner: John Mentz : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Grass Horse – Cinco Star (owner: John Mentz : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding – Thealligatorhunter (owner: Pete Mattson & Tim Padilla : trainer: Tim Padilla)
• Three-Year-Old Filly – Star of the North (owner: Michael Grossman : trainer: Francisco Bravo)
• Two-Year-Old – Love the Nest (owner: Lothenbach Stables, Inc : trainer: Joel Berndt)
• Claimer – Wild Behavior (owner: Empire Racing Stables : trainer: Robertino Diodoro)
• Quarter Horse – Jess Rocket Man (owner: Lunderborg LLC : trainer: Jason Olmstead)

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Canterbury Park Offers Free Admission During 2021 Meet’s Final Week Of Live Racing

Canterbury Park's 65-day racing season comes to an end with 5 p.m. programs Tuesday and Wednesday and a 4 p.m., 13-race program Thursday. General admission will be free the final three days as part of fan appreciation week to cap a season that began with uncertainty but concludes leaving racetrack officials both pleased and optimistic.

“People were here enjoying the Minnesota summer ritual that is live horse racing at Canterbury Park and it was wonderful to welcome patrons back to the track,” said Vice President of Marketing John Groen.

Business levels increased sharply compared to the 2020 pandemic-shortened and restricted race meet, with more dollars wagered, more spectators in the stands, and the return of the energy and buzz associated with Canterbury Park's live racing experience.

Had he been asked in January or February, Groen might not have been as enthusiastic. Planning during a pandemic for promotional events months in advance was a difficult task. Add to that the labor shortage faced by the entertainment and hospitality industry and it became daunting.

In 2020, with limited spectators allowed, Canterbury deviated from the 25-year tradition of Thursday through Sunday horse racing and ran races Monday through Thursday to have increased exposure with the national gambling audience. That plan worked and wagering on Canterbury races increased astronomically.

For the 2021 season, track officials adopted a hybrid racing schedule featuring Tuesday through Thursday early evening post times, along with Sunday afternoons.

“Our goal for 2021 was to see if we could achieve the best of both worlds by keeping the national wagering audience on weeknights while welcoming our enthusiastic fan base back to the track on Sundays,” said Groen.

Canterbury back loaded the popular Sunday promotional events that accompany horse racing, such as corgi races and Extreme Day, into the later summer months when there was a much better chance that restrictions would be eased.

Spectators, as planned, did come by the thousands on Sundays as Canterbury averaged more than 8,500 guests for family day racing after the fourth of July. Canterbury officials expected Sunday afternoon handle would revert to 2019 levels, averaging $300,000, when faced with the competition of major tracks running at the same time.

“We were wrong about the Sunday handle projections, pleasantly so,” Groen said.

Sundays averaged $894,736 in handle from wagers made outside of Minnesota; nearly triple the 2019 figure, while weeknights remained consistent with 2020 figures, averaging more than $1 million in handle per race card.

“We presented a great racing product in 2020 to new participants nationally, and that exposure carried over to all of our race days this year,” said Groen. “It really was a positive summer for Canterbury, and we hope our fans will take advantage of free admission the week to enjoy our final three days of racing.”

There are nine races Tuesday, 12 Wednesday, and Thursday's program includes two $50,000 stakes, the Shakopee Juvenile and the Tom Metzen Sprint. In total, 326 horses have been entered for the final 34 races.

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